CONFERENCE: A MODERN LEGAL FRAMEWORK TO ENABLE GLOBAL TRADE:

THE NEW LEGISLATION ON ARBITRATION AND ON ELECTRONIC

TRANSACTIONS. UNIVERSITY OF QUEENSLAND, BRISBANE, AUSTRALIA
5 FEBRUARY 2013

Developments in Arbitration and Mediation as

Alternative Dispute Mechanisms in Brunei
Darussalam

by AHMAD JEFRI RAHMAN1

1. Introduction

Disputes arise in any situation where one lives in a community. The adage

that ‘no man is an island’ rings true. Inevitably, disputes will arise in the

course of relationships whether this relationship is personal or commercial

in nature. Various methods of resolving disputes have been created. This

discussion will look at developments in the area of arbitration and

mediation in Brunei Darussalam. It will be seen that although arbitration

has taken root in the arena of dispute resolution, issues may have arisen

leading to the search for other available means dispute resolution, among

which, mediation is a possible contender.

Arbitration in Brunei Darussalam

2. Parties who have chosen to refer their agreements and disputes to

arbitration always do so with the expectation of an efficient, fast and

1
LLB, LLM (IT & Communications), Senior Counsel and Head of Litigation & Dispute Resolution Unit,
Civil Division at the Attorney General’s Chambers, Brunei Darussalam. All views stated herein are those of
the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Attorney General or the Attorney General’s
Chambers.

1
 certain conclusion of their disputes culminating in an arbitral award that

is rendered by the tribunal. This expectation is true for both international

and domestic arbitration. A successful party would then seek to enforce

his award and reap the fruits of his labour after having undergone a

laborious arbitration process.

3. A Part of the Drive towards Economic Diversification and

Modernisation of its Arbitration Law

Whilst Brunei Darussalam has been heavily and largely dependent upon

its exports in the oil and gas industry to fuel its economic development,

economic sustainability has now become a concern. As Brunei aims to

diversify its economy and try to attract some of the large sums of direct

foreign investment that have flowed into the economies of the other

countries in the ASEAN region, it is understood that is extremely

important that both local and foreign investors who venture into Brunei

will be guaranteed with a fast, cost effective and efficient manner in which

to resolve their disputes which inevitably arise from time to time.

Generally commercial parties seek to resolve their disputes in a way that

does not permanently destroy both the goodwill and the future

cooperation between the parties. In this context, arbitration has been

touted as a better form of dispute resolution process in comparison to

litigation before state courts. It is stated to be a user friendly process and is

a confidential process. It also allows foreign investors to feel that they are

able to engage governments in a fair, neutral and an independent

environment. This point takes on added importance since provisions for

2
 the bringing of proceedings against “the Government or any officer,

servant or agent” of the Government have not been made 2. In order to

attract foreign direct investment, it is important to encourage the

development of an impartial, transparent and effective legal framework

which has to be supported by an effective dispute resolution regime

through which any aggrieved party, be it local or foreign, may seek

assistance from to redress its problems.

Although Bilateral Investment Treaty arbitrations provide one means for

parties to settle disputes, business parties tend to prefer using commercial

arbitration as a quieter, cheaper and more expeditious manner of

resolving disputes. Brunei Darussalam is a party to many bilateral

investment treaties (BITs) and a Multilateral investment being the ASEAN

Agreement for the Promotion and Protection of Investments is another

example of a multilateral investment treaty3.

As Brunei Darussalam assumes the chair of ASEAN in 2013, the

opportunity to establish itself as an arbitration centre has gathered pace,

particularly with the ongoing territorial disputes in the South China Sea.

Brunei Darussalam. The idea for the setting up of an arbitration centre

was mooted in 2008 when Brunei Darussalam hosted an International

Arbitration Conference and 2nd Regional Arbitration Institutes Forum. At

that time, Brunei Darussalam still had its Arbitration Act which was based

2
Article 84B(2) of the Constitution of Brunei Darussalam
3
http://www.aseansec.org/12799.htm

3
 on the Hong Kong Arbitration Ordinance4 and the Arbitration Act of 1950,

1975 and 1982 of England and Wales.

Brunei Darussalam was actively studying the UNCITRAL Model Law and

was well aware of some of the progressive developments in the field of

arbitration such the granting of interim relief by way of Mareva injunction

in aid of foreign arbitral proceedings with no other connection with the

country where the local court was seated. The Model Law was seen as the

appropriate model for Brunei Darussalam’s purpose of economic

diversification and attracting FDIs. The Model Law also provided a

modern approach to arbitration which has also served as a basis for the

arbitration laws of numerous countries around the world5.

The final push for adoption of the Model Law came in 2006 when

Cambodia introduced its arbitration law based on the Model Law. Brunei

Darussalam and Myanmar was quoted6 as the 2 countries within ASEAN

to have yet updated their arbitration procedures.

4
Hong Kong Arbitration Ordinance (Cap. 341) which incorporates Hong Kong Ordinances of 1963, 1975
and 1982.
5
As of 25 January 2013 66 countries (including 30 states) have adopted the UNCITRAL Model Law.
Source: http://www.uncitral.org/uncitral/en/uncitral_texts/arbitration/1985Model_arbitration_status.html
6
Global Arbitration Review Cambodian arbitration act enters force,
http://www.globalarbitrationreview.com/news/news_item.cfm?item_id=3529 (last accessed 29 August
2006)

4
4. Brunei’s Arbitration Order 2009 and International Arbitration Order

2009

Previously, the arbitration legislation in Brunei (formerly Cap. 173 of the

Laws of Brunei) was essentially based on the 1950 English Arbitration Act

which dealt with both international and domestic law. The law then was

viewed as being outdated, allowing the courts to interfere with arbitral

proceedings.

The Arbitration Order 2009 and International Arbitration Order 2009 came

into force on 28th July 2009. Based on the UNCITRAL Model Law, the

introduction of the International Arbitration Order 2009 enables Brunei to

lay claim to be the first Asian country to adopt the provisions on interim

measures which were introduced in 2006.

While the new international arbitration law permits the courts in Brunei

Darussalam to support arbitrations, it places limits on its ability to

interfere in arbitral proceedings. The new powers of arbitration tribunals

in Brunei also include the power to issue injunctions, as well as orders

such as those for security of costs, for discovery, and orders to protect

potential awards from losing their practical value by the dissipation of

assets. Appeals to the courts are not permitted, and the president of the

Arbitration Association of Brunei Darussalam has been given the

authority to appoint arbitrators should the parties fail to reach an

agreement.

5
5. In the drafting of the new legislation, provisions from Malaysia, Hong

Kong, New Zealand and Singapore were studied since all these countries

share the same legal heritage based on English Common Law. As England

itself in enacting the UK Arbitration Act 1996 departed slightly from the

UNCITRAL Model Law, it had meant that the new English legislations

were no longer a good benchmark with which could be compared with.

The new laws are very similar and have been based upon the models of

the arbitration statutes in Singapore. Brunei Darussalam has however also

adopted new provisions that had been adopted by the UNCITRAL

Commission especially with respect to interim measures and looked at

various decisions in different countries on this issue before coming to the

current laws.

6. Snap shot of one of the major provisions in the International

Arbitration Order

In addition to studying the various statutes of other Common Law

countries, the recommendations made by the Working Group II

(Arbitration) after reviewing the UNCITRAL Model Law and in particular

at the controversial issue of ex parte interim measures were closely

examined for its applicability in Brunei’s context. After looking at the

updated “UNCITRAL Model Law on International Commercial Arbitration

1985 - With amendments as adopted in 2006”, and the commentaries made on

6
 the reforms to the Model Law7, it was decided that Brunei was not ready

yet to adopt all of the amended articles that had been set out by the

UNCITRAL in the 2006 draft Model Law. However, having looked at

decisions from other jurisdictions, primarily Singapore8 on the issue of

whether or not a local court had powers to grant interim relief by way of

Mareva injunction in aid of foreign arbitral proceedings with no other

connection with the country where the local court was seated and having

looked at the judgment, it was thought that perhaps Brunei should adopt

a more proactive stance in amending its international arbitration act to

allow for Brunei Courts to be given the power to grant interim measures,

including Mareva interlocutory relief, to assist foreign arbitrations.

On this point, it is interesting to note the recent case of Matter of Sojitz

Corp. v Prithvi Ifo. Solutions Ltd.9 in which a New York appellate court

granted a pre-emptive attachment of assets in aid of an international

arbitration in Singapore involving foreign parties, even though there was

no connection to New York by way of personal jurisdiction or subject

matter of the dispute.

7
See Menon & Chao, Reforming the Model Law provisions on Interim measures of protection, (2006) 2
AIAJ 1.
8
Swift-Fortune Ltd v. Magnifica Marine SA [2007] 1 SLR 629, Singapore Court of Appeal.
9
2011 WL 814064 (N.Y. App. Dic. Mar, 10 2011)

7
7. Below is a brief look at the international arbitration act and particularly on

the point of the powers of the arbitral tribunal to grant interim relief, as

per the recommendations of the revised Article 17 of the Model law.

Powers of arbitral tribunal

15. (1) Without prejudice to the powers set out in any other provision of this Order
and in the Model Law, an arbitral tribunal shall have powers to make orders or give
directions to any party for —

(a) security for costs;

(b) discovery of documents and interrogatories;

(c) giving of evidence by affidavit;

(d) the preservation, interim custody or sale of any property which is or forms part of the
subject-matter of the dispute;

(e) samples to be taken from, or any observation to be made of or experiment conducted

upon, any property which is or forms part of the subject-matter of the dispute;

(f) the preservation and interim custody of any evidence for the purposes of the
proceedings;

(g) securing the amount in dispute;

(h) ensuring that any award which may be made in the arbitral proceedings is not
rendered ineffectual by the dissipation of assets by a party; and

(i) an interim injunction or any other interim measure.

(2) An arbitral tribunal shall, unless the parties to an arbitration agreement have
(whether in the arbitration agreement or in any other document in writing) agreed to the
contrary, have power to administer oaths to or take affirmations of the parties and
witnesses.

8
(3) An arbitral tribunal shall, unless the parties to an arbitration agreement have
(whether in the arbitration agreement or in any other document in writing) agreed to the
contrary, have power to adopt if it thinks fit inquisitorial processes.

(4) The power of the arbitral tribunal to order a claimant to provide security for costs as
referred to in subsection (1) (a) shall not be exercised by reason only that the claimant is
—

(a) an individual ordinarily resident outside Brunei Darussalam; or

(b) a corporation or an association incorporated or formed under the law of a country

outside Brunei Darussalam, or whose central management and control is exercised
outside Brunei Darussalam.

(5) Without prejudice to the application of Article 28 of the Model Law, an arbitral
tribunal, in deciding the dispute that is the subject of the arbitral proceedings —

(a) may award any remedy or relief that could have been ordered by the High Court if the
dispute had been the subject of civil proceedings in that Court;

(b) may award interest (including interest on a compound basis) on the whole or any part
of any sum which —

(i) is awarded to any party, for the whole or any part of the period up to the date of the
award; or

(ii) is in issue in the arbitral proceedings but is paid before the date of the award, for the
whole or any part of the period up to the date of payment.

(6)An interim measure is any temporary measure, whether in the form of an award or in
another form, by which, at any time prior to the issuance of the award by which the
dispute is finally decided, the arbitral tribunal orders a party to:

(a) Maintain or restore the status quo pending determination of the dispute;

(b) Take action that would prevent, or refrain from taking action that is likely to cause,
current or imminent harm or prejudice to the arbitral proceedings itself;

9
(c) Provide a means of preserving assets out of which a subsequent award may be
satisfied; or

(d) Preserve evidence that may be relevant and material to the resolution of the dispute.

Conditions for granting interim measures

16 (1) The party requesting an interim measure under Section 15(8)(a), (b) and (c) shall
satisfy the arbitral tribunal that:

(a) harm not adequately reparable by an award of damages is likely to result if the
measure is not ordered, and such harm substantially outweighs the harm that is likely to
result to the party against whom the measure is directed if the measure is granted; and

(b) there is a reasonable possibility that the requesting party will succeed on the merits of
the claim. The determination on this possibility shall not affect the discretion of the
arbitral tribunal in making any subsequent determination.

(2) With regard to a request for an interim measure under Section 15(8)(d), the
requirements in paragraphs Section15(8) (a) and (b) of this article shall apply only to the
extent the arbitral tribunal considers appropriate.

Applications for preliminary order and conditions for granting preliminary

orders

17 (1) Unless otherwise agreed by the parties, a party may, without notice to any other
party, make a request for an interim measure together with an application for a
preliminary order directing a party not to frustrate the purpose of the interim measure
requested.

(2) The arbitral tribunal may grant a preliminary order provided it considers that prior
disclosure of the request for the interim measure to the party against whom it is directed
risks frustrating the purpose of the measure.

(3) The conditions defined under Section 15(6)A apply to any preliminary order,
provided that the harm to be assessed under Section 15(6)A(1)(a), is the harm likely to
result from the order being granted or not.

10
Specific regime for preliminary orders

18 (1) Immediately after the arbitral tribunal has made a determination in respect of an
application for a preliminary order, the arbitral tribunal shall give notice to all parties of
the request for the interim measure, the application for the preliminary order, the
preliminary order, if any, and all other communications, including by indicating the
content of any oral communication, between any party and the arbitral tribunal in
relation thereto.

(2) At the same time, the arbitral tribunal shall give an opportunity to any party against
whom a preliminary order is directed to present its case at the earliest practicable time.

(3) The arbitral tribunal shall decide promptly on any objection to the preliminary order.

(4) A preliminary order shall expire after twenty days from the date on which it was
issued by the arbitral tribunal. However, the arbitral tribunal may issue an interim
measure adopting or modifying the preliminary order, after the party against whom the
preliminary order is directed has been given notice and an opportunity to present its case.

(5) A preliminary order shall be binding on the parties but shall not be subject to
enforcement by a court. Such a preliminary order does not constitute an award.

Modification, suspension termination

19. The arbitral tribunal may modify, suspend or terminate an interim measure or a
preliminary order it has granted, upon application of any party or, in exceptional
circumstances and upon prior notice to the parties, on the arbitral tribunal's own
initiative.

Provision of security

20 (1) The arbitral tribunal may require the party requesting an interim measure to
provide appropriate security in connection with the measure.

(2) The arbitral tribunal shall require the party applying for a preliminary order to
provide security in connection with the order unless the arbitral tribunal considers it
inappropriate or unnecessary to do so.

11
 Disclosure

21 (1) The arbitral tribunal may require any party promptly to disclose any material
change in the circumstances on the basis of which the measure was requested or granted.

(2) The party applying for a preliminary order shall disclose to the arbitral tribunal all
circumstances that are likely to be relevant to the arbitral tribunal's determination
whether to grant or maintain the order, and such obligation shall continue until the party
against whom the order has been requested has had an opportunity to present its case.
Thereafter, paragraph (1) of this article shall apply.

Costs and damages

22. The party requesting an interim measure or applying for a preliminary order shall be
liable for any costs and damages caused by the measure or the order to any party if the
arbitral tribunal later determines that, in the circumstances, the measure or the order
should not have been granted. The arbitral tribunal may award such costs and damages
at any point during the proceedings.

8. Taxation of Costs

A decision on costs made by an arbitrator in a claim involving the

Ministry of Defence of Brunei Darussalam was the subject of an

originating summons brought before the court in Singapore10. The brief

facts of the case are that the plaintiffs claimed $927,000 from the defendant

in the arbitration. Two defences and ten counterclaims were raised by the

defendants amounting to $20m. The arbitrator held, on an interim

application, that he had no jurisdiction to deal with the counterclaims and

stated that any payments due under any cross-claim established by the

defendant would only go to diminish the amount to be awarded to the

plaintiffs if they were successful in their claim. The defendant adduced

10
VV & Anor. v VW [2008] 2 SLR(R) 929

12
evidence on its counterclaim during the main hearing. The arbitrator went

on to dismiss the plaintiff's claim. On the question of costs, he granted the

defendant costs of the arbitration, including the costs of its counterclaim,

which amounted to $2.8m.

The plaintiffs filed an originating summons seeking to set aside the award

under the International Arbitration Act (Cap 143A, 2002 Rev Ed). Three

grounds were submitted to the Learned Judge: (a) the costs award was in

conflict with the public policy in Singapore in that it offended against the

principle of proportionality; (b) the arbitrator had no jurisdiction to award

costs to the defendant in respect of counterclaims; and (c) the arbitrator

acted in breach of natural justice when he awarded costs on a scale based

on an alleged international arbitration practice on which no evidence was

given.

In dismissing the application on all grounds submitted, Prakash J. held

that it was not part of the public policy of Singapore to ensure that costs

incurred by parties to arbitration were assessed on the basis of any

particular principle, including the proportionality principle. The parties to

the arbitration had contracted for disputes to be settled in that particular

manner. The judge held that there was no public interest involved in the

legal costs of parties to one-off and private litigation.

13
On the issue of the arbitrator’s jurisdiction to hear evidence on the

counterclaim and the decision to set-off the sums due therefrom, the judge

found that once the plaintiffs submitted the claim to arbitration, the

defendant was entitled to raise all defences that it possessed to the same,

including any claims that could be set off against any award made in the

plaintiff's favour. The merit or lack of merit of the counterclaims in so far

as they constituted set-offs and the issue whether it was reasonable for the

defendant to raise all of them could only go towards influencing the

nature and quantum of the costs order. Due to the failure of the claim, it

was unnecessary for the arbitrator to consider the merits of the set-off

defences under which circumstances the arbitrator was not deprived of

the jurisdiction which included the power to decide on how costs should

be borne.

As to the argument on the requirement for the rules of natural justice to be

observed, the judge found that this did not mean that every conclusion

that an arbitrator intended to make had to be put before the parties. The

assessment of costs was not something to which the rules of evidence

applied so as to preclude the arbitrator from having regard to information

that he had which had not been adduced by either party. At the costs

inquiry, the arbitrator's views and experience were before the parties and

the plaintiffs had every opportunity to address the same and thus there

could not be said to have been a breach of natural justice.

14
The proportionality principle as noted by the Learned Judge, was not

limited to a relationship between the amount involved in the dispute and

the amount of costs awarded. The principle truly meant that when legal

costs had to be assessed, all circumstances of the legal proceedings

concerned had to be looked into, and not only the amount of the dispute

though that was an important factor, especially when assessing whether

the amount of work done was reasonable.

Although the government found itself at the right end of this decision, this

case has highlighted the potential of facing an extremely steep bill in

terms of costs. As shown in this case, such costs awarded may even be

higher in value that that of the subject matter in dispute, though it must be

said that it is often the case that a litigant will incur more in costs than is

usually recovered in terms of taxed costs in proceedings brought before

the courts. If the principle in VV & Anor. v VW is the standard applicable in

the taxation of costs in arbitration proceedings, this potential liability must

be taken into account in the assessment of whether to bring the dispute to

arbitration and whether arbitration is to be used as a preferred method of

resolution of disputes. The taxation of costs according to the scale of costs

allowed under the rules of Court may appear to be better alternative in the

sense that the amount of costs is set by scale stipulated in the rules. The

ability to make the decision of preferring court proceedings over

arbitration is currently curtailed in the context of the government of

Brunei Darussalam due to the absence of legislation permitting suits

against the government, hence the reason for inserting arbitration clauses

15
 in all government contracts. It may be timely to consider alternative forms

of dispute resolution in recognition of the fact that there can only be one

winner in litigation and the loser faces the prospect of an order to pay

costs far exceeding the value of the subject matter in dispute.

9. Current Efforts at Strengthening Arbitration in Brunei Darussalam

The Attorney General’s Chambers is working with the Arbitration

Association of Brunei Darussalam (AABD) to develop and enhance the

infrastructure and human resource capabilities to facilitate arbitration in

Brunei Darussalam. In order for there to be an efficient system and

network of able and qualified professionals in Brunei Darussalam, AABD

needs to absorb the best individuals available from all the various

professional bodies in the country.

10. By default, the dispute resolution clause in Government contracts requires

reference to arbitration, the place for the arbitration being Brunei

Darussalam as it would save the parties much monies in not having to fly

outside Brunei to resolve purely local disputes on agreements that are

often subjected to choice of Brunei laws.

It has also been seen that by encouraging domestic arbitrations to be heard

in Brunei Darussalam, there will also be an indirect contribution back to

the country in the form of contributions that would be made by the

16
 renting of conference meeting rooms and business centre facilities of local

hotels, secretarial facilities, taxis and restaurants.

The immediate goal for the arbitration industry is now to find appropriate

facilities to fully develop into a good and efficient arbitration centre. The

continued improvement and training of AABD’s members as well as the

fact that there is a wide choice of diversity of leading international

arbitrators who are currently mainly non-Brunei nationals, means that

there is absolutely no reason why more domestic and international

arbitrations cannot take place here in Brunei.

The state of Mediation in Brunei Darussalam

11. The parallel, but separate, systems of courts co-existing in Brunei today

resulted from two distinctive influences. The English legacy is apparent in

the Civil Court system while the Islamic inheritance is manifest in the

system of Syariah Courts. The Application of Laws Act (Cap. 2 of the

Laws of Brunei) is clear proof of the application of the common law of

England and the doctrines of equity together with statutes of general

application.

His Majesty’s commitment to undertake reforms of the Islamic courts and

of Islamic laws have signalled Brunei Darussalam’s commitment to

increasing their role and significance for Brunei’s predominantly Malay,

Muslim population. The most recent example being His Majesty’s titah on

17
 the introduction of an Islamic Criminal Act to deal with Islamic crimes

while maintaining the implementation of existing civil and religious

legislation11. This is consistent with the nation’s ideology, Melayu Islam

Beraja (MIB),12 designed to promote and uphold Malay culture, Islam and

the institution of the monarchy as indispensable components in Bruneian

development. Inevitably, MIB also impacts upon the current priorities for

dispute resolution, including those processes other than adjudication

employed in courts, whether the secular common law or the religious

Syariah court systems13.

Mediation has been long established in Brunei Darussalam, as a culturally

preferred means of settling disputes and for reducing conflict that utilise

informal localised forms of negotiation and mediation. These continue to

be preferred over the imported western versions of alternative dispute

resolution. That this is occurring is consistent with MIB, which over the

last two decades has operated to limit assimilation of all things western,

and seeks to retain that which is, or is deemed to be, more consistent with

Bruneian culture. The influence of local culture in styles of conflict

management has seen the preference for using traditional processes over

imported versions. This view is consistent with findings of research on the

11
Brunei Times, 16 March 2011, HM proposes Islamic Criminal Law http://bruneitimes.com.bn/news-
national/2011/03/16/hm-proposes-islamic-criminal-law (last accessed 31 March 2011)

12 Translates as Malay Islamic Monarchy

13
Black, Ann: Alternative Dispute Resolution in Brunei Darussalam: the Blending of Imported and
Traditional Processes. Bond Law Review: Vol. 13: Iss. 2, Article 4.

18
 transfer of western ADR processes into different cultural contexts

including Asia14.

12. Mediation in practice has a long history in Asian countries15. Brunei

Darussalam is no exception, however, the practice of mediation seems to

have drifted into the background in the face of other dispute resolution

mechanisms, such as court based litigation and arbitration. A similar

experience is shared in this respect in Malaysia16.

13. Mediation is a process in which a third person or persons seek to assist the

parties resolve a dispute without imposing a binding decision.17 The

parties in dispute are assisted by the mediator, who facilitates a process of

discussion to enable them to reach an outcome to which each can assent.18

The person who, by tradition, takes up the function of a mediator for local

community disputes is typically the headman either of the kampong or

village, called penghulu or ketua kampong. The headman is chosen on the

basis of his standing and authority in that community and there is respect

and deference accorded to one holding this position. The headmen also

assumed preventative roles in their communities, to minimise the

14
Lee & Teh (Ed.): An Asian Perspective on Mediation : 2009 SMC, Academy Publishing,
15
Law Siew Fong: More than Collectivism – A Guanxi-oriented Approach to Mediation in Lee & Teh
(Eds.) An Asian Perspective on Mediation: 2009 SMC, Academy Publishing,
16
Dato PG Lim, ‘Mediation – A Slow Starter in Alternative Dispute Resolution’ (2004) 1 MLJ xv
17
Michael Mills, ‘China: Some Lessons in Mediation’ [1993] Australian International Law News, 31.
18
See generally Laurence Boulle, Mediation: Principles, Process and Practice, (1996) 3.

19
 escalation of conflict into a dispute. Because of long standing membership

of that community, they used their cumulative knowledge of people and

events to deal with grievances that experience suggests could turn into a

dispute. When a dispute develops and intervention of a third party is

sought, the parties in the dispute approach the headman directly, jointly

or singly, or through another person in the community. Generally, the

mediation will be informal, so that the venue and behaviour will be a

matter familiar to the parties.

14. Despite its historical usage, the use of mediation as a method of dispute

resolution has fallen into disuse due to various factors such as “dissensus,

or divergence in values”19. There is little in the way of legislation which

mandates the use of mediation, however, notable examples of this would

include the appointment of a Hakam in the Islamic Family Law Order

1999, and the pre-trial conferences mandated in the Rules of the Supreme

Court.

15. The Court on its own motion to appear before it in order to make “such

order or give such direction as it thinks fit, for the just, expedition and

economical disposal of the cause or matter”20. This example may not be

entirely appropriate to be labelled a mediation as the pre-trial conference

takes place after the parties have commenced litigation in Court.

19
Vilhelm Aubert, ‘Competition and Dissensus: Two Types of Conflict and Conflict Resolution’ (1963) 7
Journal of Conflict Resolution, 26. Cited in Black: Alternative Dispute Resolution in Brunei Darussalam:
the Blending of Imported and Traditional Processes. Bond Law Review: Vol. 13: Iss. 2, Article 4.
20
Order 34A Rule 1, Rules of Supreme Court

20
16. A Hakam may be appointed under Section 43 (2) of the Islamic Family Law

Order, 1999 to mediate between a husband and a wife where there are

“constant quarrels between” them. The Hakam is to endeavour to obtain

full authority from both parties to consider and persuade the parties in

their applications for divorce. Two Hakams are appointed, one acting for

the wife and the other for the husband. The role of the Hakam, is to obtain

full authority from both parties, if he is acting for the husband, for the

pronouncement of talaq or to accept tebus talaq, while in the case of the

Hakam acting for the wife, to secure acceptance of the talaq or to accept

tebus talaq. This provision within the Islamic Family Law Order, 1999

remains the only legislative provision mandating what is understood as

mediation.

17. The views espoused by Black are indicative of the state of mediation

within Brunei Darussalam. .21 The lack of interest in using mediation is

due to the absence of centres providing mediation services, and it was not

widely regarded as a service to be offered by the existing law firms.

Lawyers in Brunei see mediation as less effective than other processes

offered in that the clients who come to law firms do so with the

expectation of more typical legal services being provided. Additionally,

as intervention by way of traditional mediation is seen as taking place

informally in the social setting in which most disputes arise, it is less likely

21
In contrast Australian States have legislation providing opportunities for litigants to use ADR processes,
rather than proceeding to trial.

21
 to be viewed as an appropriate form of dispute resolution in a lawyer’s

office.

18. Nevertheless, this is not to say that mediation has no place in the scheme

of dispute resolution in context of Brunei Darussalam. If the consequences

such as those arising out from cases which are referred to arbitration as

evidenced in cases such as VV v VW it is not unforeseeable that alternate

forms of dispute resolution will be sought, mediation being a promising

alternative.

19. The introduction of the Consumer Protection (Fair Trading) Order, 201122

gives the Small Claims Tribunal23 the jurisdiction to deal with claims filed

by consumers against unfair practices by suppliers providing services in

the course of business. Section 12(1) of the Small Claims Tribunal Order

describes the primary function of the tribunal as “(attempting) to bring all

parties to a dispute to an agreed settlement”.

20. Although the term agreed settlement is not defined, it is not doubted that

an agreed settlement is the by-product of a successful mediation process,

the emphasis being on the “agreed” nature of the settlement as opposed to

22
which came into force on 1 January 2012
23
The Small Claims Tribunals Order 2006 is not yet in force at the time of writing. However, efforts are
underway to put this Order in place to complement the application of the Consumer (Fair Trading) Order
2011.

22
 a decision being imposed by an arbitrator or a court. With a majority of

claims being likely to comprise of small claims, namely those below

$10,000, mediation practice will be given a boost by the mandate given by

the operation of the Consumer Protection (Fair Trading) Order, 2011 and

the Small Claims Tribunal Order.

21. Still, challenges remain in the form of resistance from the legal profession

in promoting mediation as a direct competitor to the resort to litigation as

a method of dispute resolution. Nevertheless, the nature of the small claim

may still tempt practitioners to steer such claims towards mediation while

concentrating their efforts for claims and disputes of larger value and

complexity.

22. Sufficient publicity of the availability of the scheme will also inform and

educate the public of this alternative form of enforcing their rights without

the attendant costs of full blown litigation. Businesses should also be

brought on board by promoting the use of mediation to resolve disputes

with their customers. Such a scheme may be promoted by the Economic

Development Board as a badge of good trading practice among businesses

in Brunei Darussalam.

23. With the cooperation of the legal profession, businesses and the public,

the use of mediation should see an increase. After all, it is within the

23
 culture of Bruneiens to prefer to resolve a matter amicably and use

litigation only as a last resort.

Conclusion

22. Galanter’s views on the proportion of cases resolved by ways of formal

court proceedings are instructive. He noted that: ‘Courts resolve only a

small fraction of all disputes that come to their attention. These are only a

small fraction of the disputes that might conceivably be brought to court

and an even smaller fraction of the whole universe of disputes’.24 It is

arguable that the nature of society in Brunei Darussalam still maintains a

preference for avoiding confrontation and for employing consensual and

less adversarial means of dispute resolution. Certainly, litigation and

settlement prior to trial are used by lawyers in Brunei Darussalam, but

their occurrence, in the absence of reliable statistics, remain perceptibly

small. The lawyer’s role is more clearly delineated in commercial and

business transactions rather than in family and community issues where

the majority of disputes arise.

23. Arbitration may also be seen as existing within the realm of commercial

and construction disputes. Given the general level of satisfaction and

confidence in the Courts of Brunei Darussalam, this mitigates against the

24
Marc Galanter, ‘Justice in Many Rooms: Courts, Private Ordering and Indigenous Law’ (1981) 19
Journal of Legal Pluralism and Unofficial Law 1, 24. Cited in Black: Alternative Dispute Resolution in
Brunei Darussalam: the Blending of Imported and Traditional Processes. Bond Law Review: Vol. 13: Iss. 2,
Article 4.

24
 use of arbitration as a preferred course of dispute resolution. Even in the

setting of government contracts where arbitration is mandated due to the

absence of legislation providing for proceedings against the government,

issues such as costs and the need to pay for everything in the arbitral

setting from arbitrator’s fees and fees for the venue, is starting the search

for other viable means of dispute resolution.

24. Mediation is emerging as a front runner especially in the context of family

law and consumer protection. The introduction of the Consumer (Fair

Trading) Order 2011 may yet provide such an impetus. This view is in

keeping with the perspective that Bruneians wherever possible will prefer

to avoid adversarial means, so that business and social relationships can

be preserved. The small role that mediation has been playing in marital

and family disputes is revitalised by the Islamic Family Law Order, 1999.

25. It is essential to note that the success of any alternative dispute resolution

mechanism requires the co-operation and buy-in of three essential players

– the courts, the lawyers and the consumers25. The combination of their

efforts in recognising and promoting these alternate dispute mechanisms

as viable alternatives is crucial in ensuring its take up, much like the early

days of arbitration. A change in mind-set of legal practitioners and also

amendments to the law mandating the use of mediation may be necessary.

25
For an interesting discussion on the development of mediation in Malaysia and the essential
ingredients of ensuring its take up and implementation, see Dato PG Lim, Mediation – A Slow Starter
in Alternative Dispute Resolution (2004) 1 MLJ xv

25
26. Coupled with the efforts undertaken by the government of Brunei

Darussalam to preserve a Bruneian’s identity, the prioritising and

retention of ‘inherent norms of our own internal lifestyle that is

collectively practiced by our society’26 may yet be the impetus for seeing

the development of mediation as a viable mechanism for dispute

resolution.

26 Abdul Latif bin Haji Ibrahim, ‘Cultural and Counter-cultural Forces in Contemporary Brunei
Darussalam’ in Thumboo (ed), Cited in Black: Alternative Dispute Resolution in Brunei Darussalam:
the Blending of Imported and Traditional Processes. Bond Law Review: Vol. 13: Iss. 2, Article 4.

26